What does the Little Albert experiment teach us?
The Little Albert Experiment demonstrated that classical conditioning could be used to create a phobia. A phobia is an irrational fear, that is out of proportion to the danger. In this experiment, a previously unafraid baby was conditioned to become afraid of a rat.
Is the Little Albert experiment unethical?
This experiment is considered very unethical. The researchers failed to decondition Albert to the stimuli he was afraid of, which should have been done after the experiment. Albert ended up passing away at the age of six due to hydrocephalus, a condition that can lead to brain damage.
Why was Little Albert removed from the experiment?
Watson had originally planned to decondition Albert out of his fear of rats, in order to demonstrate that conditioned fears could be eliminated. Albert was removed from the experiment by his mother prior to this happening, which means that the experiment left a child with a fear that he did not previously had.
Is the Little Albert experiment real?
The Little Albert experiment was a controlled experiment showing empirical evidence of classical conditioning in humans. The study also provides an example of stimulus generalization. It was carried out by John B. Watson and his graduate student, Rosalie Rayner, at Johns Hopkins University.
How did the Little Albert experiment change the world?
The Little Albert Study is a world-famous study in the worlds of both behaviorism and general psychology. It shows that classical conditioning seems to be able to alter human behavior in a controlled environment.
What is the conditioned stimulus in the Little Albert experiment?
Conditioned Stimulus: A stimulus that elicits a response after repeatedly being paired with an unconditioned stimulus (the white rat). Conditioned Response: The response caused by the conditioned stimulus (fear).
When did the Little Albert experiment end?
2009
Watson’s papers stated that Albert B was the son of a wet nurse who worked at the hospital. Beck spent seven years exploring potential candidates and used facial analysis to conclude in 2009 that Little Albert was Douglas Merritte, son of hospital employee Arvilla.
What Happened to baby Albert long term?
Douglas died at the age of six on May 10, 1925, of hydrocephalus (a build-up of fluid in his brain), which he had suffered from since birth. “Our search of seven years was longer than the little boy’s life,” Beck wrote of the discovery.
What does the Little Albert Experiment suggest about the interface between the individual and society?
The Little Albert Experiment demonstrated that classical conditioning—the association of a particular stimulus or behavior with an unrelated stimulus or behavior—works in human beings. In this experiment, a previously unafraid baby was conditioned to become afraid of a rat.